'We’ll never go back to it': David Tennant rules out a return to Broadchurch ahead of new series and reveals the level of secrecy on set 'drove him mad'

Fans of ITV drama Broadchurch will no doubt tune into Monday night's series three launch in their millions.

And ahead of its return, leading stars David Tennant, 45, and Olivia Colman, 43, discussed the programme with the Radio Times.

Tennant said: 'What will be sad is that we’ll never go back to it. It’s always been there as a sort of friendly, comfortable place that we’ll return to. But now that doesn’t exist any more, it does feel like a loss.'

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All good things must come to an end: Ahead of Broadchurch's return, its two leading stars David Tennant, 45, and Olivia Colman, 43, discussed the programme with the Radio Times

One thing David certainly won't miss is the high level of security surrounding the script.

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Revealing just how far the producers went to ensure secrecy, David said: 'We were all issued with different passwords for different things. So new bits of script would come through and you’d forget what your password was and have to phone somebody up and prove it was you.

'That drove me mad, if I’m honest. I’d phone up the office and go, "I need it on paper, I can’t cope!"'

Bonding: The pair, who play detectives Ellie Miller and Alec Hardy respectively, have struck up a firm friendship during their time working together

The pair, who play detectives Ellie Miller and Alec Hardy, respectively, have struck up a firm friendship during their time working together.

Olivia gushed: 'If I could do every job with David Tennant I would die happy. He’s the nicest, most fun person to work with. He never complains. He’s brilliant.

Reciprocating her kindness, David added: 'Olivia has definitely become a part of my life and it’s lovely… and, you know, our families know each other. Yeah, she’s a mate.'

While the pair welcome the success of the progamme, it's not something they take for granted and can even be a little overwhelming at times.

'You never expect anything to have a level of popularity,' said David. 'You can never tell. When you’re making something, you’re presumably making it because you think it’s good. And therefore you hope other people will recognise that. But you’ve no way of knowing.'

Such is Broadchurch's popularity, that bosses had to employ a security team to shield the set from prying fans filming on their mobile phones using umbrellas.

Camera shy: Olivia said she struggles to get her head around the selfie craze

The clamour to get a glimpse of the stars while they worked proved to be a distraction, with Olivia explaining: 'I do find that quite hard, people filming you on their phones.

'It’s hard enough with one camera, let alone 40 iPhones! You have to concentrate and I found it amazingly nerve-racking.'

In fact, the entire selfie craze is something that bemuses Olivia.

She said: 'If you’re going to a work do and you’re all dressed up for an awards ceremony or something, it’s fine because it’s work.

'But if I’m going out with my husband and kids, I’m not at work. I grew up without the selfie thing and I find it quite alien and odd. When people come up and say "hello", it’s lovely but… oh, I’m going to sound grumpy now, aren’t I?

'But I said something the other day to someone who asked for one. I said, "Just because there’s not a photo doesn’t mean it didn’t happen." I think they thought, "What a weirdo."'

Kind words: Olivia said she'd 'die happy' if every project she did was with David